Radiant Shadows
by Midnight Starfall
Summary: Shadow the hedgehog doesn't remember any of his past after falling from the Space Colony Ark. Sonic doesnt know he's gotton amnesia, and tries to help the broken and confused hedgehog. Sorry, I'm not good at summaries, its not as simple as it looks!
1. A Shadow's Reflections

Radiant Shadows: Chapter 1!!

I don't own any of the characters used in this story. They belong to  
Sega/Sonic Team/whoever Just to make that clear.

My first fanfic, hope you like it!!

The Beginning

It was a beautiful day. Not a soul could deny it, no matter how  
ravaged, twisted, or broken said soul was. I found myself overlooking  
the city of Westopolis, with my arms crossed defiantly, and brows  
knitted together in confusion. There was only one thing I could  
remember... and it terrified me.

Flashback

I was surrounded in stars. They were like a blanket of warmth, and  
they seemed to be unreal. But I'd looked at them most of my life, and  
found they never lost their lustre. It seemed as if they were the only  
things that remained constant. I was always content at watching them  
dance in the sky. For the first time in my life, I longed for nothing,  
I envied no one, and sadness didn't plague my life.

I looked up at my partner, and saw his eyes to be filled to the brim  
with emotional pain and tears. At first I was confused. How could he  
possibly be upset when I was sure I was the happiest I'd been in  
years? But then I understood. I could feel power draining from me by  
the second. I could feel the Earth pulling me toward death. I was  
going to die. I looked at my silver arm, it flashed to black, then  
back to the shining platinum. I heard the hedgehog's words in my mind,  
through the power of telepathy. "No! Shadow! You can't die! I'm  
supposed to save you, and our story is supposed to end in  
brotherhood... running next to each other... happy" the now golden  
hero tried to explain. "You just can't die!" the hedgehog repeated in  
horror. I smiled, in a vain attempt to comfort him. I tried to tell  
him that it would be okay, that his vision would become reality, but I  
found I could hardly transfer thoughts, as only a groan of effort  
escaped my mind, causing tears to run down his face much faster. As we  
lost contact, I summoned all the power my battered body contained to  
tell him the words that had been told to me so long ago. "Sayonara,  
Sonic the Hedgehog," I said in a weak voice. Before my eyelids closed,  
I saw the form of Sonic, crying in earnest, and heard the faint  
murmurs of "Why?" coursing through his mind. I waited patiently for  
death to come.

End of Flashback

I would have given this a second thought but I was swiftly  
interrupted. If you know my story well, you can imagine how upset I  
was when a newspaper drifted towards me, and flew into my leg. It was  
that wretched Déjà-vu all over again. A wave of fury came over me much  
stronger than it had all week. It was like the anger had been waiting  
for just the right moment to strike. To any onlookers, it would look  
as if an angry cat had been dropped on a newspaper, complete with  
hissing and infuriated meows. My preferred way to take care of this  
sort of anger was to dash into the city before me, and destroy all I  
could see.

But I couldn't do that. I'm not sure why, but I couldn't.

So, to satisfy my burning need, I disappeared into the forest behind  
me, leaving the newspaper in shreds.

Smelling the lush scent of life was like a tranquilizer shot into my  
system. My eyelids even drooped dangerously, until I remembered I was  
running at speeds that would be very risky to fall asleep in, to say  
the least. If I allowed the serenity to pull me down, why, the  
consequences could be either hilarious, or devastating. I imagined  
myself tumbling head first into the soil, only to wake up from my  
trance completely confused. I shot a simple smile at absolutely  
nothing. Yep. I was betting on hilarious.

Since I awoke, from what, I could not put my finger on exactly, my  
stamina had increased tremendously. This was a part of the reason why  
I was still running. The majority of the reason though... confusion  
took over my face.

After the blue hedgehog supposedly named Sonic, and his friends  
realized I was alive, they never talked to me, or more so pretended I  
didn't exist. Perhaps it was out if fear, for I'm unstable. I  
chuckled, thinking of my recent loss of control. Yes, very unstable. I  
don't think they care wether or not I live or die... Even if they did,  
they never bothered to help me in my weakest moment. The one time I  
would've let anyone pass through my emotional shell. They thought that  
I didn't need anybody. But even I needed a friend.

I sighed, but the sound was snatched by the speed-induced wind  
before it could reach my ear. I was lacking a vital need. Something as  
vital as my very heart. Someone to watch my back, and take my mind off  
things while I was adjusting to the change caused by my sudden loss of  
memory. My ticket to sanity. It would be nice, to not have to spend  
days and nights worrying over the future. To be able to finally relax.  
Let go. Be "normal" however overrated normal was. I smiled at the  
thought of peace. How simple it could be just to be. With friends,  
happiness, and a meaning to life. But I couldn't afford to get caught  
in dreams that would never become reality.

If only there was a way that I could ask for a friend without looking  
weak.

"Rouge had promised to always be by my side though," I puzzled  
continuing racing through the trees. At first, the girl bat had kept  
the promise she made to me when she saw me in the hospital. She spent  
days by my side while I attempted adjusting to the few memories I'd  
experienced. We never talked much, but I'm sure we would have, if we  
had longer than 4 weeks. She and I would sit in front of a sunset, or  
sunrise, or sometimes just on a day like today. We just thought, and  
on occasion, she would ask me odd questions like what it was like in  
the Ark. I thought she meant the pristine white and toothpaste  
coloured place I had stayed in to recover from my injuries. I'd tell her "It was kind of boring, and the food wasn't _that_ great."  
bored with me, and when a crimson echidna decided to invite her to one  
of their missions: See who could find the prized sapphire first. Let's  
just say I never found out if she was successful. 4 months had passed  
since that moment. Faker, or Sonic, the only names that came to mind  
when I thought hard about the blue hedgehog. He had apparently been  
off on 8 missions since that day, and those were only the ones that  
made the local paper. Yes, I'd been counting, waiting to see how long  
it would take for them to remember me. Or me to remember them.

Deep down, maybe I had cared about that blue hedgehog. If I knew of  
our past, wether we were enemies or friends, I would make the whole  
ordeal a hell of a lot easier. But no. Maybe I should have asked Rouge  
what happened. I thought I could overcome this myself. I swore that  
I'd be able to remember without any help.

I wasn't even entirely sure if they knew I'd lost my memory or not.

Sometimes, where I recovered, one of them would visit me, and say  
something about me falling, or in the yellow coloured fox's case,  
something about Sonic. He kept telling me that he couldn't visit, and  
I had no reply for him. As for the other questions, I do remember  
falling, and I'd tell them I didn't think it hurt, and they'd look at  
me like I was a freak. I thought about the day I woke up...

Flashback:

I awoke on the shore of a sandy beach, with bloodstained water lapping  
up against my feet. The pain was unimaginable, and I found myself  
without even the strength to open my eyes a second time. "I think he's  
regained consciousness!" an excited voice said. It was a childish male  
voice. I searched for the willpower to open my eyes, and finally did,  
and this time they stayed open. I saw a little boy fox's face first,  
with a mixture of curiosity and delight on his face. Next I saw /his/  
face. He was a blue hedgehog, and his was the only face I recognized,  
and remembered. I looked desperately for emotion in it, but found none.  
It nearly brought tears to my eyes. Having all hope taken from you all  
at once can do that to you. Though I was in pain, I forced myself to  
sit up. They were all saying something like "Shadow" but I had not a  
clue of what it could possibly mean. But I knew what "don't do that"  
meant, and stopped my progress. My ruby eyes never left the  
emotionless jade green ones. He started to look uncomfortable, and I  
looked at him all the stronger, trying to make some sort of  
connection. My eyes turned to slivers, and my brow furrowed. Right  
then my vision became fuzzy, and I passed out.

End flashback

I finally stopped running, to sit on a rock by a stream. "How far have  
I gone?" I wondered. "I hope I didn't cross the border..." I thought  
idlely. I figured l should probably start making my way back, and  
started walking this time, not from exhaustion, I was merely in no  
hurry to arrive back in hell. I started strolling with my head down  
low, feeling anything and everything... but angry.

Sooo, how do you think my first story/chapter/intro went? There will  
be more, but I'd like to see some reviews, just to show I have people  
that would read it, when released. I don't know what flames are, but  
please don't send them anyways. Thanks for reading, and please click  
the big button that says review the story (or something like that).  
Come on, you know you want to!


	2. Sonic's Resolution

Radiant Shadows chapter 2

I made a mistake in Shadow's flashback of falling! In case you were  
wondering, yes Sonic still did get Shadow's bracelet when he fell. I  
just forgot to put it in. If that caused any confusion, sorry! Here's  
chapter 2.

The first thing I heard was the blaring screech of my alarm clock. I  
immediately wished that I could forget it and lapse into sleep once  
more. I slapped the top of my alarm clock lazily, ending it's constant  
reminder of the day ahead.

As I tumbled out of bed, a glint of gold caught my eye, and froze me  
in my tracks.

It was Shadow's bracelet.

I'd been trying to get over my guilt about not going to see Shadow  
in the hospital. I fear that he hates me because I let him fall from  
the Ark.

Tails had told me that it was nonsense to believe the dark hedgehog  
would be holding a grudge. From what he'd said, Shadow had been  
grateful that we found him when we did, and talked nothing of the  
past. He even seemed to avoid questions referring to the Ark. Nobody  
ever pushed him, for fear his contentment and security would fade.

As far as I knew, Shadow had been a true gentleman, even to Amy. He  
spent 1 month in the hospital, to come out without a single scar.

After Shadow was released, it became both easier and harder to avoid  
him.

Easier because none of us has seen him since he departed.

Harder because everyone expects me to go after him.

To be very plain, I was running out of excuses.

I chanted to others that he had Rouge for company, and that he  
wouldn't want me around to bother him. It worked for awhile, until I  
figured out Rouge had been hanging out with Knux for the past week.

I began to consider going over to his house, but I didn't know where  
Shadow lived. Tails has been trying to convince me to find him, and the  
yellow fox was very nearly successful, until GUN gave me an  
investigation that needed reinforcement. So, off I went, to save the  
day.

The only day I had failed my mission would haunt me to my dying day...

Flashback

I gaped openly at the dead lizard-like creature, still in shock that  
we had done it.

We had eliminated the enemy, but I learned with a jolt that our  
mission was not quite over yet. The Ark was still following it's crash  
course towards my home, and we had to stop it.

I turned my head toward my counterpart. He was beaten, bloodied,  
bruised, and likely broke a rib, judging by the way his hand hovered  
over his stomach, and his legs curled in towards his injured abdomen.  
Was it just me, or was his fur loosing it's pearly glow?

We didn't have time to ponder and question each other, and we both  
knew it. So, he gave me a curt nod, looking as if he didn't feel his  
pain.

I wished I was that strong.

We both flew toward the persistently falling space colony. My arms  
raised to meet the metal surface of the Ark, where my friends  
anxiously waited. I knew I would not see them again if I couldn't  
manage to take control of the colony.

Shadow and I shouted in synchronization, "Chaos Control!" I watched  
as much as I could of the event as the space colony warped back into  
orbit, committing the scene to  
memory.

Pale blue rings circled around the Ark, bending and twisting until a  
luminous glow surrounded the space colony, and it  
vanished, only to re-appear in it's original position, unharmed.

I grinned wildly at our success.

"We did it Shadow! We saved the world!" I sent telepathically  
enthusiastically. After a second, I whipped my head around, surprised  
that he had not replied to me.

He looked so peaceful. No creases furrowed his brow, no confusion  
clouded his expression, no bloodlust reigned his soul. The expression  
on his face seemed to change constantly. First was happiness.  
Overflowing joy, coming with relief, as he processed my words. Then  
came pain, likely due to his plentiful injuries, followed by a  
thoughtful smile.

Then, something flickered over my friend that wasn't an emotion.

I should have expected it.

His matted sterling coat flashed to his ordinary midnight pelt.

Though it returned back to it's luminous glow, I knew that my dear  
friend's time was running out. But the most confusing part of this  
whole ordeal, was that Shadow himself seemed unaware of his impending  
death. He still wore a peaceful smile upon his lips, as if nothing had  
happened.

As if my life hadn't just been flipped inside out.

I could no longer bottle the emotions churning inside of me.

I screamed with the realization that Shadow would not be coming back  
with me.

"No! Shadow you can't die! I'm supposed to save you, and our story is  
supposed to end in brotherhood... running next to each other... happy"

I tried desperately to describe my vision, my dream that ended with  
Shadow and I racing at dawn, side by side, with a smile. I'd  
envisioned us like brothers, with no more pain, or sadness to bring  
us down. We'd simply been happy. Soaring along the never-ending  
meadow, laughing through it all.

But now I knew my dream was never going to be a reality.

While we were still within arms reach, I frantically grasped his  
wrist, in a final attempt to bring him back. As he drifted farther,  
his golden bracelet parted with his glove, and I held it as if all my  
life depended on it.

Hope dominated my thoughts.

Shadow gazed back into my eyes, curiosity in what was left of his  
features. The words he spoke were his last.

"Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog"

I began crying with all my soul. I knew what those words has meant to  
Shadow, and to have him speak them to me was far too overwhelming.

It was like you took my heart and slowly tore in half. Every time my  
dark counterpart drifted farther from me, my heart ripped more, until  
I was forced to avert my eyes from his now onyx form.

It was then that I left him for dead.

I turned from the dying hedgehog, and left him to fall, my only  
thoughts a constant stream of "Why?" s

All I concentrated on was the precious bracelet in my hands, as  
another tear streaked down my cheek.

I flew morosely towards the now safe space colony, where I would be  
showered in congratulations and awards I didn't deserve.

End flashback

I would never forgive myself for letting him go. For turning my back  
on him as he faced a fiery hell. I had chosen my safety at the price  
of his life.

True heroes sacrifice themselves, and they certainly don't let others  
die for them. I didn't really realize how much Shadow had sacrificed,  
until I thought about it.

Hell, this was the first time I'd allowed myself to even think the  
obsidian hedgehog's name.

I recalled the day we found Shadow...

Flashback

It was a sunny, summer day, and Tails and I decided to head out where  
everyone headed on a hot day. The beach, naturally.

But when we got there, screams of horror met our ears. Tails and I  
glanced at each other in confusion, and we leapt from the Tornado.

A huge crowd surrounded one tiny spot, and I weaved through everyone  
saying "Sonic the Hedgehog comin' through!". But once I made it to the  
site, Tails and I witnessed easily the most horrifying sight I had seen.

At first I squinted and scrutinized what was before me until  
recognition shocked me to my core. I knew who laid before me.

Shadow the Hedgehog.

So battered, bloodied, bruised and broken I could hardly see his  
midnight pelt. I didn't know how he could still force what was left of  
his lungs to inhale and exhale air. But the scariest part was when he  
opened his eyes.

There was no denying it was Shadow. His ruby eyes curiously watched  
Tails, but only for an instant. They flicked to my eyes, and  
concentrated on me. The way is eyes pierced through me paralyzed me  
instantly. My face was blank with shock, and as he attempted to lean  
into a sitting position, Tails yelled "Shadow! Don't do that, you'll  
hurt yourself!"

At my friend's words, the charred hedgehog leaned back slowly, but his  
eyes drilled into mine all the stronger, and he squinted at me, as if  
to try to see me better, like he didn't believe what he was seeing. It  
was then that he passed out.

End Flashback

After that, everything was a blur. I remember calling the ambulance  
for Shadow, and calling everyone to let them know the dark hero had  
survived, but I can hardly recall anything else.

The hedgehog had to have been in so much pain... Why would he waste so  
much of his energy trying to drill a hole through my eyes? There was  
obviously something he wanted from me.

And I was about to find out what.

I knew what I had to do today. I would not put off confrontation with  
Shadow any longer. It had already been months. I couldn't delay.

I rushed from my bed, as I threw on my gloves and shoes, with a  
newfound strength, and determination.

I didn't bother with breakfast, and I simply couldn't have stopped  
myself from finding Shadow if I was starving.

As I sped past my door, I wondered if the dark hero had changed as  
much as Tails let on. If he had, if he truly had left all the past  
behind him, greeting him would be so much easier. I became so  
agitated, so excited, I could hardly think of much else.

I ran to fulfil my dream.

What can I do to improve? Please review and let me know. Next chapter  
should be up soon!


End file.
